Beltran sits out Astros' White House visit

When the Houston Astros visit President Donald Trump at the White House to celebrate their World Series championship, they'll do so without recently retired outfielder Carlos Beltran.

Beltran told reporters at the Thurman Munson Dinner in New York on Tuesday he'll be staying home with his family when the Astros visit the White House.

He said while his decision was not political the United States' relief efforts in his native Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria last September was disappointing.

"There's no doubt that I'm disappointed," Beltran said of the government's response.

"I'm not the only one. There's a lot of people disappointed. We haven't some benefits. Being part of the United States, you expect to at least get the same benefits when tragedies like this happen. The fact that we haven't (gotten) those, yeah, it's a disappointment."

Since Trump took office, many athletes have come forward and said they would skip their team's White House visit if invited.

At least three members from Super Bowl champions Philadelphia Eagles - Malcolm Jenkins, Chris Long and Torrey Smith - won't attend if the team gets an invite, while Trump withdrew his invitation to the Golden State Warriors following their NBA championship after several players said they would rather not attend.

The Astros received an invitation to visit the White House last month, and president of business operations Reid Ryan told the Houston Chronicle they plan to attend. A date for the visit has yet to be scheduled.

Beltran, 40, ended his 20-year major league career after winning his first World Series with Houston.